Futurists are often gloomy, cherishing destruction and despair in whatever kind of apocalypse they’re selling. The Church has yet another opportunity to be counter- cultural, this Advent, as we proclaim Hope & Harmony in end times. We cannot deny world hostility and famine, exploitation of persons and resources, abuse and greed: the beasts have not yet been de-clawed. But we can paint pictures of an involved and steadfast God whose unfolding presence shelters and encourages those who wish to keep walking. Readings for the Second Sunday of Advent offer alternative images to the doom ‘n’ gloom guys.
Isaiah of Jerusalem spoke to a people fainting with fear of the Assyrians who would eventually (721 BC) overrun the Northern Kingdom and disperse those 10 tribes to who-knows-where. Verses 1-10 of Chapter 11 is a hinged pair of paintings, one looking for a Messianic bud from the stump of Jesse, and the other portraying a Peaceable Kingdom impossible but for the change God is making. This Messiah will intercede for the vulnerable–the lambs, the oxen, the children–and harmonize all things in divine care.
Paul begins to wind down his doctrinal Epistle to the Romans with the restatement of his conviction that Gentiles are also part of God’s People (15:4-13). He bookends this inclusiveness with two sentences of Hope: “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that by steadfastness and by the encouragement of the scriptures we might have hope….May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that your may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.” This hope, then, is not of our own cultivation, but rather the Gift of a gracious God. Although not yet seen, the Messiah and the new order are a gleam in God’s Eye–and also in ours!
Matthew reminds us that John the Baptizer appeared out in the wilderness (3:1-12). Some will say that the harshest wilderness is that within the hearer: behind the plastic smiles of “organized worship” are thorns of loneliness and gusty winds of fear. This Gospel is to acknowledge that we DO walk in emptiness–more times than we like to admit. Even those who talk a good game, Pharisees & Sadducees, are confronted with their wilderness–and reminded that they too can Turn It Around. If they “bear fruit worthy of repentance”, will these usher in the Messianic Kingdom?
Hope is an over-used word for a revolutionary idea. To be sure, it’s more than “the sun will come out tomorrow”. Somewhere beyond the rosy glasses must be a steadfast Creator who deals out both Justice and Mercy, and thus introduces and begins to build a world where enemies can trust, where appetites will be satisfied, and where innocence will be a norm. Come quickly, Lord Jesus!
God Bless Us, Every One Horace Brown King
My audacious musings on the assigned lectionary readings for the upcoming weekend can be found every Tuesday at this spot on Facebook; or at horacebrownking.com
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